EK rack up tries in Irvine
IRVINE ..................................................... 19 EAST KILBRIDE ..................................... 56 RICHARD BEATON
East Kilbride Rugby Club toughed out a torrid first 15 minutes on Saturday in Irvine before comfortably defeating the home side to move up to fourth in the table, albeit a distance behind runaway leaders Allan Glens.
In truth, despite being shunted around the park in the early exchanges, there was little to concern East Kilbride as the home side are, being charitable, a cut and paste job from an earlier age in which props looked like props and so on.
The visitors’pack certainly contains some chunky fellows but they are all moderately athletic specimens give or take one or two. Thus, long before the half-time port and lemon trolley was wheeled across the Marress turf, the Irvine forwards were struggling to get beyond walking pace.
Not only were the EK pack considerably fitter but their backs were also far superior. Aidan Stott, in particular, led the Irvine defenders a merry dance and was rewarded for his spark with a hat-trick, taking him to an astonishing 16 for the season already.
For once though he was bettered on the day, Iain Brown crossing four times.
Stott is quick across the ground but Brown is quicker still. Brown appears to be getting lazy in his old age though, preferring to go through or over, rather than round, whichever unfortunate opponent happens to be in his way.
There were also tries for Middleton and Roddy Beaton, Scott Shankie adding the remainder with the boot.
The only shadow on the day was that young prop Ali Marriot looks likely to miss up to a month with a wrist injury, and given that this is an amateur game, there could be work implications for the trainee plumber. Good job then he works for his faither.
EK return on November 9 in the semi-finals of the Regional Shield, where they face Strathaven.
TEAM: 1. Marriott, 2. E. Beaton, 3. Mclellan, 4. McLean, 5. Rosie, 6. Irvine, 7. R. Beaton, 8. Middleton, 9. Ellison, 10. Henderson, 11. Dryburgh, 12. Shankie, 13. Stott, 14. I. Brown, 15. Murray.